Codex Glyph Grammar: Symbol Generation Rules

This document defines the symbolic grammar used to generate Codex glyphs.

Principle

Objects generate symbols.

front matter -> parameters -> glyph

Base Geometry by Object Type

signal -> burst / rays / spark geometry scroll -> spiral / unfolding paths artifact -> shards / planes fragment -> seed / broken loop fieldlog -> measured marks codex -> grid / frame / reference spine nexus -> clustered orbit / relational ring

Theme Modifiers

Themes modify base geometry.

fire -> angular sparks water -> curved flows signal -> node clusters recursion -> spiral emphasis city -> rectilinear grid bias forest -> branching organic bias grief -> interrupted lines

Status Modifiers

draft -> partial closure review -> balanced tension published -> stabilized geometry archived -> dimmed enclosure

Deterministic Seed

Glyph variation derives from a deterministic seed.

seed = hash(object id)

This ensures the same object always produces the same glyph.

Output

Current flow produces:

hero glyph SVG

The same seed can later drive icon and monochrome variants without changing the object’s mark.

Application in Flow

Draft the object in inbox/ready/.
Generate the glyph from the draft metadata:

node scripts/generate-codex-glyph.mjs --source inbox/ready/<file>.md
Add the emitted /media/...svg path to the object’s media block when the glyph should ship with the post.
After review and explicit approval, publish through the normal hand-off:

node scripts/finalize-approved-ready.mjs --source inbox/ready/<file>.md --note "<approval reason>"

The Codex becomes a system where each object bears a symbolic mark.